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Maps are great for getting around, but online maps could be a lot better. So Google decided to make dynamic, interactive maps that are draggable — no clicking and waiting for graphics to reload each time you want to view the adjacent parts of a map. Want to be able to type in the name of a region or neighborhood and see any part of it as easily as with a regular street map? Now you can with Google Maps.

Since these maps are draggable, you can use your mouse or the directional arrows to pan left, right, up and down to see areas that are hidden offscreen. You can also use the slider to zoom in and zoom out.

It's like having a huge map you can scroll around in.

Want to see what your target location looks like in real life? Check out our satellite view, which gives you access to satellite and aerial images of your locations that you can zoom in, zoom out, or pan in any direction. (You won't experience any long reload times when you drag images in the satellite view, either.) To access this view, click "Satellite" at the top right corner of the Google Maps page. You can also choose the hybrid view, which superimposes map data–including streets, street names, and landmarks–over satellite images.